US Offers Nvidia Chips as Bait in Azerbaijan Peace Deal
US negotiators reportedly promised to authorise the sale of Nvidia AI chips as part of its quest to broker a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2025. The pledged chips, numbering some 70,000, will be installed in the recently inaugurated Firebird data centre.
The chips were promised to bring Armenia to the table for the Washington summit in August 2025 between US President Donald Trump, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The summit resulted in the initialling of a peace treaty to end decades of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff prepared a memo outlining a plan to deepen Armenia's economic relationship with the US and bolster its tech industry, including giving export licenses for the Firebird chips.